Stacked appliances, such as a clothes washer and dryer, are common in houses and buildings where space is limited, such as in apartments. In conventional stacked appliances, the upper unit, usually the dryer, is set upon the lower unit and brackets are attached to the backs of the units to secure them together. The interconnected stacked units are then slid into position against a wall or into an alcove.
Several problems exist with such conventional mounting arrangement for stacked appliances. First, the weight of the interconnected appliances makes it more difficult to move the stacked units into position against the wall or in the alcove, as compared to moving only one of the units into position. Secondly, accessibility to the backs of the units is limited, thus making hook-ups with the dryer vent, electricity, and gas more complicated.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of improved stacked appliances having quick and easily accessible hookups for the exhaust vent, gas and electricity.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of stacked appliances having exhaust vent, gas and electrical connections on the washer for coupling with the dryer.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved method for installing stacked appliances wherein the exhaust duct and incoming gas line are coupled to the lower unit before the upper unit is installed on the lower unit.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.